While the return of wolves to the northern Rockies is one of the greatest conservation success stories of our time, it has not been easy for those whose livelihoods depend upon shared habitat. As wolves expand beyond protected areas, ranchers and outfitters have faced a steep learning curve in adjusting their expectations and field practices. Ranchers have had minimal predator presence for decades and now have to learn how to operate in their presence.
Range Riders in Montana work to keep livestock and wolves separated
Keystone works to decrease wolf-livestock conflicts by providing ranchers information on predator presence, encouraging community monitoring of predators, and supporting predator “Range Riders” who can assist livestock riders in managing cattle more wisely and assisting in information collection. It is important that ranchers have knowledge and tools they can rely on, thereby reducing dependence on Wildlife Services for lethal control, which has proven to be an expensive and poor long-term solution.
Understanding livestock vulnerability and finding predictors of predator behavior is a fundamental step. With coordinated monitoring and communication between stakeholders, snapshots and trends can be developed of when and where depredations occur most often, and what works best to reduce them such as moving stock, hazing wolves, and using other deterrent strategies. All stakeholders need to be encouraged to collect and share information Ideally, with the help of NGOs and government agencies, ranchers adopt herding and husbandry practices that minimize conflicts.
Towards these goals, Keystone:
- Collects information from riders to develop trends in public land study areas
- Provides information to ranchers about predator activities
- Offers grants to grazing associations and contributes funding for riders
- Develops innovative ways to utilize conflict intervention tools on public lands, such as “Rider Response” teams
- Works to partner with agencies on incorporating predator considerations into grazing regulations, reduce costly lethal control and increase proactive solutions, and support ranchers in adopting more effective husbandry practices.
While animosity has been a hallmark of wolf expansion, open communication about wolves and providing support for Range Riders is pioneering a path for cooperation between long-time ranching families and wolf conservationists. As rancher Bill Brownlee of the Boulder Watershed Association puts it: “We realize the wolves are here to stay and we’ve got to find a way to operate under these conditions.” By supporting new rider efforts, better communication between stakeholders, and helping transfer experience from its field sites, Keystone Conservation contributes to ongoing learning about how to keep both livestock and wolves alive.
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